Is this the smartest ship yet? Quantum of the seas packs the all the teach to be the future destination for entertain freaks. It’s very dynamic and with so many tech and things to do on board, it is very difficult to get bored.
If you were to ask any young adult whether they would like to head to a destination for the weekend or go on a cruise for the weekend, chances are what they would say might be along the lines of “is that not for the likes of my parents?” or “I’d get bored on board”….bored on board is the stigma that most cruise liners have to deal with when it comes to trying to sell it to young people.
Weighing 167,800 gross tonnage, 348 metres in length and width 41 metres , it is not one to easily miss if spotted at sea. With a cruising speeds of around 22 knots (40 km/h), it is very comfortable for up to 4,905 passengers who can board the Quantum of the Seas. It sports 2090 staterooms spread across its 16 decks as well as high-end designer shops, restaurants, bars and more.
I was invited along the launch of the Quantum of the seas, courtesy of the Royal Caribbean Cruise, who’s been in the cruise business for many years now. Once I was shown the brochure and what to expect, I was sold. It offered high bandwidth broadband internet, and a whole bunch of tech on-board to keep my young mind stimulated for the whole weekend. Let’s take a look at what was available in more detail:
North Star
The North Star in summary is one of the London eye pods or capsules placed on top of the Quantum of the Seas so that when you reach a destination or somewhere with an amazing view, you can get onto it and have an amazing view 300 feet higher than the ship. It then moves around, until you have taken in a full 360 degree panoramic view of the area.
Ripcord by iFly
Thinking about sky diving or what the experience would be like? iFly is an on-board skydiving experience where you get to fly high in the 10 foot diameter chamber wind tunnel which is 23 feet tall. Prior to entering the chamber, you will be shown and overview video of what it is and taught about the correct flying positions by the experienced and trained divers. With a viewing deck overlooking Flowrider and the sea, you family and friends can watch you fly, record and take photos too. This is definitely an experience you can’t miss especially at sea.
FlowRider
Using some special engineering, you can surf on this wave simulator; you have trained staff at the ready to give you tips and help you get started and even at sea when it might be a little cold, it was still an amazing experience. It also has a viewing area so you can watch others or be watched by friends and family.
SeaPlex (Xbox One, roller-skating, bumper cars and more)
This is a huge dynamic entertainment area spread over two floors containing a full basketball court which can be changed for bumper cars, roller skating and any other forms of entertainment. Upstairs is a set of gaming consoles like Xbox One and PlayStation 4 with comfortable gaming chairs. Around the back area, you have a mini food bar to grab a quick snack like a hot dog and there’s also a games room for arcade games. This was truly an entertainment room as I envisioned it to be.
Two 70
The Two 70 room is another entertainment room, serving as a bar or sitting area in the day time with a books library upstairs, and at night, it changes into a theatre, showroom for a spectacular musical show. What makes the Two 70 worthy of a mention is the amount of tech that goes into this room to make it coordinate with the shows. It sports 12 K resolution screens made up of 18 individual projectors and 110 animators for dynamically creating a fluid robotic show to back up the theatre. Whilst the show is going on, you will see the dancers coming in and out of lifts installed in the roof and some below the dance floor, and because there isn’t a special production room for getting changed due to space restrictions, most of the changing takes place in the roof areas.
Speaking to the inventor, he states that the whole room has to be built upside down to ensure that the engineers pays full attention to all the details. I experienced the Starwater show with some ridiculous outfits yet wonderful with bar tenders at hand to bring you drinks so you never miss anything, the dancers also makes the show interactive by coming into the audience whilst the big walls changed images to match the sound of the music.
Bionic Bar
The Bionic Bar is quipped with two robots ready at your command to mix up a bunch of cocktails you might require to keep you happy on-board; you have access to around 30 spirits and 21 mixer choices. Powered by Makr Shakr, the B1-O and N1-C can take orders via an app use the screens on either side of the bar to choose a drink from menu. Working individually, the robots will make two cocktails at any one time within minutes; this includes putting your plastic cup in place, mixing or shaking the drinks like a real life bartender, pouring the finished cocktail into the cup and delivering it. The robots were show stoppers, you just had to pause to see it in action.
High-speed Internet
The Quantum of the seas comes ready with a high-speed internet with enough bandwidth to handle all the people on-board trying to upload pictures and videos to Facebook or Instagram and with the upcoming satellite installation it should be a better experience in theory. While I was on-board it was very temperamental with so many people connected, trying to connect and all the technical equipments connected that needed good connectivity.
Royal iQ App
The Royal iQ App is not some sort of app for testing your iQ or how smart you are but rather an interactive scheduling service app that passengers would have downloaded before boarding to make reservations for dining, entertainment and activities (like skydiving or the North Star). It also allows you to keep track of schedules and even track your checked-in luggage.
Overall the Quantum of the Seas has definitely changed my perspective of what the future holds of cruise ships, I can now broaden my options when it comes to travelling. The Two 70 room was packed with all the technology to bring me a great experience and the iFly areas for keeping me active, the SeaPlex for entertainment and if I happen to be on-board with a partner there are options for dinning, the Northstar for a romantic view and many more entrainment options I didn’t get to see over the two nights stay.
Want to find out more? Check the Royal Caribbean website for more and you can also check us on Twitter and Facebook for any questions. Also keep your eyes peeled for the Anthem of the seas which is scheduled to sail from the UK in April.
